Tug sinks in Hood Canal
The Coast Guard and Washington Department of Ecology are jointly coordinating the response to a fuel sheen located near Port Gamble, Wash. Coast Guard and Ecology experts are tracking the spill by helicopter to better assess the situation. Pollution investigators from Coast Guard Sector Seattle and the Department of Ecology arrived on-scene earlier this morning and began the investigation into the sheen. The 140-ft. tugboat Magic sank near the entrance to Port Gamble and is the apparent source of the spill. Oil is no longer is flowing from the vessel. The Coast Guard has opened the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to enable clean-up efforts to begin without delay. Contractors are placing boom at pre-identified sensitive areas along northern Hood Canal.
Two Tugboats Sank Near Port Gamble
The Coast Guard says two tugboats -- not just one -- sank early Monday near Port Gamble. An estimated 200 gallons of diesel fuel leaked from one vessel before a vent was plugged by divers. The Coast Guard, Kitsap County Sheriff's Office and state Ecology Department are investigating the sinkings. The tugs were tied together near the old Port Gamble mill. The Kitsap County Health District advises against harvesting or eating shellfish from the bay until further notice because of the fuel spill. But the state Department of Health gave the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe the O-K to resume geoduck (GOO'-ee-duck) harvesting. The big clams are found in deeper waters. Source: AP
